Another champion down, another big name added to Alex Eala’s 2026 hit list.
Less than 24 hours after stunning Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen of China, Eala dethroned defending champion Leylah Fernandez with a comeback for the ages to announce her arrival in the hard-court swing in emphatic fashion.
Up against a fancied rival with Filipino roots, the 21-year-old Filipina ace rose from the ashes, erasing a 1-5 deficit in the second set to complete a straight-sets sweep and storm into the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.
Eala, the world No. 29, will get a well-deserved day off before returning to action tomorrow for a place in the Final Four against either world No. 10 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine or world No. 108 Polina Kudermetova, set for a Round-of-16 clash.
If Eala banked on big-match experience to slay Paris champion Zheng, it was patience that pushed her over the line against world No. 34 Fernandez, who stood on the brink of forcing a decider.
‘Patience was key there. I was just trying to work it out and have a strong mentality in terms of trying to find solutions,’ said Eala, who unleashed a 6-1 barrage to close it out after a dominant 6-2 opener.
It was sweet revenge for Eala, who bowed to Fernandez, 23, in their first meeting, 6-1, 6-4, on the clay courts of Stuttgart, Germany.
Not this time.
Eala punctuated her staggering fightback with a flawless 7-1 runaway in the tiebreak after Fernandez – the No. 7 seed whose mother is Filipina-Canadian – stopped the bleeding at 6-6 to force the breaker.
According to Tennis Channel, Fernandez was the first fellow left-hander Eala has beaten on the WTA Tour. The Rafael Nadal Academy graduate improved to 32-18 on the season as she builds toward the US Open on Aug. 30 to Sept. 13 in Flushing Meadows, New York.
For Eala, it was another showcase of the classic Filipino never-say-die spirit – not long after she also unseated Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek of Poland during her magical run to the Round of 16 in London earlier this month.
‘I think it’s just part of my character but then again, every single player here is a fighter. We’re here because we’re all fighters, you can never count anybody out,’ she said.
‘I definitely had some tough moments in that match and credit to Leylah. She put me in some really tough positions, so I think I’m super proud of how I fought and how I stayed there.’
Eala, who is eyeing her third career title after winning in Birmingham during a stellar grass-court campaign, is making the most of her first hard-court tournament of the swing before ramping up her US Open preparations at the National Bank Open in Toronto and the Cincinnati Open next month.
But first things first – rest and recharge for a shot at the last four of the 500-level event.
‘I’m ready if I need to play right away but it’s nice to have a day off,’ she smiled.